Happenstance
by QueenCarol
Summary: On a wedding anniversary getaway to their little cottage, Carol and Ezekiel stumble upon something that will change their lives forever.


Disclaimer:

Carol Peletier, Sophia Peletier, King Ezekiel, Henry, Jerry, Shiva, and any other recognizable character or plot of The Walking Dead belong to AMC Network and Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics and Robert Kirkman.

In no way is the author claiming ownage of any of the characters nor is there any economic/monetary gain at any time. The author is extremely respectful of the original creators and is willing to take down this work of fiction if requested.

No copyright infringement intended.

Original characters are the property of the author.

* * *

Happenstance

Carol greets the new day with a groan and an attempt to bury herself against her husband. She has always been an early riser, having been a costumed to tending to Ed, the people at the prison or the people at Alexandria, but ever since she married Ezekiel she's found that she likes to wake up next to him and spend as much time as she possibly can in his arms, especially during cold mornings. Today is an extra chilly morning, enough that the small fire they've had going in the fireplace all night doesn't quite take away the chill; she can instantly tell that her fingers are ice cold, that her toes are no better, and that the chill from outside is something she definitively doesn't want to experience.

As she burrows further into his embrace she presses her ice-cold nose against his neck, making him shiver. "Your nose is cold." He mumbles in his sleep like state. "Come here, let me warm you up."

Although she has pressed her body as best as she can against his sleepy frame, Ezekiel still manages to pull her a little bit closer, embracing her with the warmth of his body and securing her against him with his strong arms.

They've come to their little 'home away from home'; the little house that she used to inhabit in her times of self-mandated solitude. It's small but sturdy and with the fence around it, it not only provides comfort but protection. It's extremely cozy as well, which gives them the right feel for their time away, the time they can spend with each other without having to worry about what's happening at Kingdom. It's become a tradition of sorts, where they leave Kingdom for a couple of days to spend together and celebrate another year of marriage. This time they are celebrating four years of wonderful marriage.

Carol loves it here. She had initially fallen in love with the place because she could be on her own, could read as she rested on the sofa, could prepare her foods in the fireplace, and could come and go as she pleased. Now she loves it because it fits them; it fits their shared meals and shared downtime where she will read to him as he plays with her hair, her head laying on his legs as he sits on the sofa. Their small bedroom is quiet and personal and she thoroughly enjoys making love with her husband in it, knowing that she can be as loud or quiet as she wants to be because there is no one around for miles. When they are both exhausted from doing nothing, they can lay in each other's arms right in front of the fireplace, watching the fire crackle from the depths of their blanket cocoon.

She feels safe here, feels loved, and she wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

"Better?" Ezekiel asks as he brushes his hand back and forth over her arm, giving her a little bit more of warmth.

"Hmm hmm," Carol mumbles though she doesn't move away from him. "Didn't mean to wake you."

"My Queen can wake me any time she pleases, especially if she's succumbing to the bitter cold." She can't help but chuckle against his skin, her lips brushing it ever so softly. "Did the cold wake you?"

"Yeah," Carol mumbles against his skin. "The fire is not out yet so it must truly be freezing."

"I'll feed the fire if it makes my wife happier."

Carol curls into herself the moment he leaves the bed, smirking when she hears his teeth start making sounds as he groans and moans his way to the fireplace in the next room. No sooner has she heard the fire start crackling louder that she feels the bed dip and a cold rush of air embrace her. She whimpers and tightens her hold on the blankets.

"No! You are cold now!" She squeals when Ezekiel embraces her again, squirming against him playfully even as she feels him start regaining the warmth she loves.

"The King needs his Queen to warm him up." He teases. Carol eventually settles against him once more, this time with her head against his shoulder, her eyes open.

"I love waking like this." She admits to him. She knows she's mentioned it before, she knows he tries as best as he can to always cuddle with her before they have to go tend to the Kingdom, but there is just something special to sharing this particular bed with him.

"It brings me pleasure as well," Ezekiel agrees. "We could remain cuddling all day if it pleases you."

"It sounds tempting." She admits as her toes start to play with his, her head tilting back as her eyes make contact with his. "It definitively would please me."

Carol let's out a little giggle as Ezekiel starts to pepper her face with kisses, for the second time that morning she wiggles against him, though this time it's for a far shorter time. She soon loses herself in her husband's delectable lips, her fingers tracing over his neck and jaw, playfully tugging at his beard, before burying in his hair to pull him closer. If she was one to give into flights of fancy, kissing Ezekiel all day would be right on top of her list, but she isn't so she takes full advantage of moments like this, where she can kiss him without having to rush away to deal with the latest emergency.

They are about to snuggle once again when they are interrupted by the sounds that spring forth from Carol's stomach which prompt Ezekiel to chuckle.

"I believe it's time to break bread."

"I don't want to get up. I refuse to." Carol mumbles, pulling the blanket over her head.

"Who dares to suggest that my Queen needs to get up?" Ezekiel asks as he starts unwrapping himself from her. "Rest easy, my love, I will prepare our breakfast."

"Have I said today how much I love you?" She asks after he claims her lips in another deep and loving kiss. "Because I love you a lot."

Ezekiel practically lights the dimmed bedroom with his smile, making her heart thunder even more against her chest.

"My love for you knows no bounds as well." Ezekiel agrees with her. He gives her yet another smile and a wink before leaving their bedroom. She doesn't know what he will cook up for them but she knows it will be delicious.

It feels ever so domestic to lay in bed while Ezekiel thinkers around in the small 'kitchen' of their getaway home. It fills her with warmth, a warmer feeling that what she could possibly get from the blankets in her bed, to know that she loves so much and is loved back in return. She doesn't fall back asleep, not when her husband is humming to himself from the kitchen, a couple of lyrics to a song she's never heard slipping through.

By the time breakfast is ready she is wide awake, sitting up on the bed as she reads one of the novels she's so keen on reading. Ezekiel has teased her about it before, saying that their love life is much better than whatever is written in those books, and she agrees, but she still loves those books and secretly loves the teasing her husband gives when he sees her with one.

Putting the book aside, she welcomes the tray that her husband has brought with him. There's a mixture of fruits, chopped and peeled and ready to eat, a couple of scrambled eggs, and a piece of the bread loaf that Nabila had placed for them in their pack. There is no juice but he's made some coffee for her, her second addiction, which streams deliciously up to her face. "This looks incredible."

They share their breakfast, switching between feeding themselves and feeding each other. Once it's gone, Ezekiel shakes his head at her attempt to get up and clean the dishes. Instead, he takes them to their kitchen, humming all the way.

Though the day is still chilly, the sun rising has chased away some of the cold, enough for Carol to be suddenly overcome by the desire to go outside on a hike. When she tells her husband he looks at her surprised but agrees to go with her. They dress amidst kisses then leave their little cabin hand in hand, weapons ready in case they are needed. They walk in silence, side by side, simply enjoying nature around them and each other's presence.

It isn't until Ezekiel chuckles out of the blue that Carol breaks the silence. "What?" She asks confused.

"You will think me silly," Ezekiel says with a shake of his head which makes his hair move around and his feather ruffle.

Carol narrows her eyes at him, the blue sparkling as she tries to figure out what he was thinking about. "What is it?" She asks again.

Ezekiel shakes his head again, pretending to find something interesting in the trees above them.

"You can either tell me or not tell me, but if you don't there will be no kisses for the rest of the day," Carol warns him.

Ezekiel turns to look at her with a shocked look on his face. "You wouldn't last the whole day, my love."

"Want to see if I can?" She challenges.

Ezekiel instantly shakes his head. "My Queen takes no prisoners." He notes to which Carol smiles and gives him a squeeze of the hand she's holding. "I was pondering on what you must have thought of me, of Kingdom, that fateful day we met."

Carol blushes bright red, even the tips of her ears color as she looks away. "You don't want to know."

As soon as she says those words she knows she has poked her husband's interest. It's Ezekiel's turn to give her hand a little squeeze before raising it to his lips. "I do." He promises then adds with one of those belly laughs she loves. "As harsh as it might be."

It is only because she knows that he will not be offended, that she even considers telling him. She also knows that whatever she initially thought does not matter because they found their way to each other, to a mutual understanding based on love and compassion. "I think my exact words to Morgan where 'Are you shitting me?'."

Just as she predicted her husband takes it in stride, letting forth another belly laugh as he stops walking and leans back with the force of his laughter.

She rolls her eyes then playfully judges him with her shoulder. "I believe I also called the Kingdom a circus and playtime."

"We did have a tiger."

She knows Ezekiel misses Shiva deeply. She's caught him more than once staring at the chains that he keeps at his bedside, a faraway look on his face, his brow furrowed with sadness. More than once, she has wished she had the power to bring that tiger back for her husband, to bring back that smile of his he used to have whenever he saw Shiva. There is nothing she can do about it though, so instead, she gives him the chance to speak about her as often as he brings her up. "She truly loved you."

"Indeed she did." Ezekiel agrees with her. "And I loved her. She saved me more times that I saved her. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have perished right away had she not been by my side." He takes in a deep breath before turning to look at her from the corner of his eyes. "You do know she loved you as well, right?"

Carol makes a sound low in her throat. "Me?" She asks him.

"Of course, she recognized the strength in your heart and that tender soul of yours immediately." He explains.

"She growled at me the first time she saw me."

"You should have seen what she did when Morgan had his first audience." He says with a low chuckle. "With you, she displayed dominance, made sure you knew I was in charge of the Kingdom, but there was no threatening behind her growls."

"Thankfully," Carol remembers the way her very bones had vibrated with the growl. She had felt very vulnerable as she sat on her wheelchair, unable to not stare at the huge tiger and the man that sat nonchalantly beside her.

"After she understood I loved you she wholeheartedly welcomed you into her ambush."

"And became the biggest kitty cat I have ever seen." She can't help but giggle, her bright smile making her cheeks appear even rosier. "Although, speaking of thoughts... let's just say my second thought was a little better."

"And what, pray tell, was that second thought."

Carol clears her throat and looks down at her boots. She can feel her face flaming but it does nothing to take away the smile she has plastered on her lips. "No, that I will not say."

Ezekiel laughs out loud, his laugh bouncing off the trees around them. "Now it is I that will withhold the kisses if my wife doesn't tell me."

Carol gasps in mock surprise. She would have accompanied it with a hand pressed to her chest but she's holding on to her bow. "You wouldn't dare."

Ezekiel nods in agreement with her. "I wouldn't, you are right, but only because it would be such torture to you and I don't want you to suffer."

"Fine, but only because you are so good to me." She gives him the win in their little banter which makes him give a low chuckle, that low chuckle that she loves so much and which fills her whole chest with warmth and love. "I thought I had just seen the most handsome and sexy man alive. There was just something about the way you spoke, and that tiger by your side, that made me turn into goo inside."

He looks at her as if she's grown another head. "You mean to tell me you felt something right away?"

"Yes," Carol admits to him. "I didn't know who you were though, or what your intentions were. There are so many questionable people in this world, especially since the dead started walking. I had to sell you the image of a meager woman in order to survive and leave, and doing that meant not feeling anything at all. So I hid it."

"Indeed you did." Ezekiel quickly adds. "Though I wish you would have shown your love earlier."

Carol smirks at him, her eyebrow rising in a challenging way. She's about to open her mouth to ask him what he'd done if he had known of her little hidden crush, but her thoughts are cut short by a loud growl from far away. She freezes and besides her Ezekiel freezes as well. She hasn't heard that kind of growl in a very long time. It's far too loud for it to be a walker, and far too strong for it to come from any other type of animal. As soon as she hears it she knows that there is a tiger nearby.

Of course, her husband reacts before she does, pulling out his concealed sword and rushing towards the area they heard the growl come from. She has to run behind him, hand reaching behind her to grab a hold of one of her arrows and readying her bow to fire it at a moments notice. "Ezekiel wait!"

He doesn't stop and Carol has to pump her legs harder to catch up to him. The growls continue coming, bouncing off the canopy of trees that surrounded them. It is only when they've reached a clearing that Ezekiel stops, looking around wildly, eyes peeled open to catch a glimpse of the feline. "It's an adult." He tells her.

It is at that moment that Carol realizes that not only is he running to find the feline, but is also taking a protective stance, his sword ready to be used in case he has to somehow protect her against the thread. He doesn't want her in danger; other tigers are not like Shiva, there is no emotional connection to them, and a tiger in the wild could certainly mean death for both of them if they weren't careful. Her husband is acting on instinct, a protective instinct she rarely sees because he is usually very candid about his faith in her training and capabilities.

The growls suddenly change from threatening to pain filled. It is at that moment that she knows the one that will be doing protecting is her and not him.

She pays close attention to where the growls are coming from and moves towards it. They are getting softer, with less strength behind them. Whatever is happening to the tiger is draining its life from him.

When she finally finds the feline she is surrounded by walkers who are eating it alive. She witnesses the last remains of life leave the tiger's eyes as the walkers greedily tear it apart. Behind her, she hears her husband approach and she turns quickly, running to find him and prevent him from seeing what she just saw. He cannot see the tiger, she will not allow it for it will certainly break his heart and bring back terrible memories of losing Shiva.

"No, stop." She tells him, her hand raising to press against his chest, her body pressing against his as a barrier to not let him pass. "You don't want to see it, trust me."

He makes eye contact with her. In his eyes, there is a hint of desire to see what's happening, a lot of worry for her well being, and a hint of confusion. He opens his mouth to protest but Carol places her fingers over his lips. "Trust me. I... I will take care of it."

She knows it's very hard for Ezekiel to stay behind so she keeps the eye contact until the initial rush of adrenaline leaves his body. Only until she knows that he won't move does she actually leave. It doesn't take her long to bring down the walkers with a couple of her arrows. Once they are down she moves towards them, another arrow strung just in case she missed one and has to quickly fire. She retrieves her arrows, wiping them clean against her boot and stuffing them back in her holder.

It's only when she's done putting her arrows away that she turns to look at the tiger. Carol can't help but wince at the sight, trying not to think about Shiva's end. From the look on the tiger's face, Carol could only deduce that it had been a painful death, far more painful that she initially thought. Its expression was a cross between agony and fierceness that Carol somehow understood. It had been fighting for survival, fighting with everything it had. Unfortunately, the walkers had gotten it before anything could be done to save her.

With one last look at the tiger, Carol turns towards the path she had come from. She finds Ezekiel resting against a tree, obviously in emotional pain. Her husband is a dreamer, a lover, an idealist, and there is no doubt in her mind that the chance of saving a tiger would have been something her husband would have taken right away.

She says nothing as she approached him, deciding instead to rest beside him, her head pressed against his shoulder.

"It never even crossed my mind that we could find tigers out here." She whispers once the silence has stretched between them far enough for them to gather themselves again.

"Must have escaped another zoo," Ezekiel tells her. "Must have been in the wild for some time, they can travel long distances when the game becomes scarce."

A sudden thought occurs to her which has her back straightening. "Do you think the rest of her ambush is nearby?"

Ezekiel looks around, his eyes narrowing. "I don't think so, they wouldn't have let her be attacked that way."

Knowing that her husband was feeling defeated even without seeing the tiger, Carol laces their fingers together and gives his hand a squeeze. "Come, let's go back home."

Ezekiel doesn't argue, getting up from where he has been resting, with Carol giving him a little bit of a pull. He pulls her close and nuzzles her face with his, much like a tiger would. Carol feels herself melt with love for her husband. She guides his mouth to hers and gives him a gentle and loving kiss. She wants him to feel as much love as possible right now for she knows that the tiger dying, even when he didn't witness it first hand, had brought back painful memories of his own loss. As soon as she is done kissing him, Ezekiel makes a weird noise with his throat and lips.

"What was that?"

"It's called chuffing." He explains. "Tigers do it when they are elated... happy. It must be strange coming from me but Shiva taught me how to do it, and since I am happy with you in my arms..." He sighs without ending his explanation. Carol knows he must feel silly, and that mixed with his sadness has stolen his words.

"You will have to teach me how to do it someday," Carol tells him, guiding his face up so that she can kiss him once more. "Will you teach me?"

Ezekiel beams at her and gives her a little nod before making the sound once more. This time she gives him a smile before attempting the sound. It sounds nothing like Ezekiel's. "We will work on it."

They start walking back home, their hands still intertwined, when suddenly Ezekiel freezes and turns to look in the direction of the tiger.

"What?" Carol asks him, tugging at his hand.

"Did you hear that?" Ezekiel asks her, his voice low, on guard.

Carol doesn't ask him what she's supposed to be hearing. Instead, she falls silent, her listening becoming more acute as she tries to find out what he heard. When she finally hears it, the sound is so faint that she would have completely missed it had Ezekiel not heard it. It sounds like a muffled shrill cry.

Ezekiel takes off before she can stop him again. "Wait!" She calls after him but Ezekiel shows no signs of stopping. She follows him until they reach the spot where the tiger died, the feeling of sadness at seeing the beautiful specimen ripped open washing thru her once more. She glances quickly at her husband, trying to see how bad he's going to take this. She's surprised that even though she does see some grief painted on his face, his eyes are not landing on the tiger, but on the area behind it. The sound is coming from there.

"Help me push her." He drops his sword and reaches for the tiger. Carol does as told, not wanting to stop him and have him focus on the dead tiger. "We must get her out of the way."

As skinny as the tiger appears to be, she is still heavy to move. Carol feels her arm muscles burn as she helps Ezekiel. They only manage to move her a couple of feet away before Ezekiel gently lays the tiger down then drops to the ground. He focuses on what seems to be a hole in the ground, covered partly by the growing vegetation around it. Before she can tell him to be careful he sticks his hand inside.

The shrill sound, which had stopped as soon as they had started moving the dead tiger, starts again. This time it is louder, shriller, and definitively a cry for help. Her husband grunts in effort as he reaches deep inside. He soon pulls his arm out then he starts taking his coat off. "Be ready."

Carol takes his coat in her hands and turns it around. No sooner has she done so that he's motioning for her to kneel beside him. From out of the den, Ezekiel pulls out a tiny tiger cub giving out loud, shrill cries. The tiger is no bigger than Ezekiel's hand and looks much smaller when her husband places it in her arms. The deep orange and black coloring that can be found in a tiger is currently faded but anyone who gazes at it can see that it is a tiger cub. She quickly wraps it with Ezekiel's coat, marveling at what they had just found.

"Oh my god. She was protecting her cub."

"Cubs." Ezekiel corrects her. It is only then that she notices her husband is already shoulder deep with his hand in the den. This time he pulls another tiger cub, much smaller than its sibling, whose coloring is completely non-existent. It too gives a cry although it is far softer than its sibling's.

Ezekiel quickly places it on her jacket covered hands and Carol instinctively pulls them close to her, both tiger cubs crying loudly even as they cuddle against her chest. She doesn't know what to say nor does she know what they will do. All she knows is that she has two tiger cubs in her arms who have just lost their mother and appear to have no other adult tigers nearby to take care of them.

Looking away from the tiny tigers, Carol locks gaze with Ezekiel, whose smile is so wide she doesn't need to ask what they are going to do.

She cradles the tiny cubs with one hand as she transfers her bow and arrow to her husband. After she rearranges Ezekiel's coat, making sure both cubs are safe and warm, she lets a sigh of relief at not having dropped them. Already the cubs have snuggled against each other, their cries lowering to tiny noises that are just too cute for her. "They are so tiny."

"Not newborns, but still highly dependent on their mother."

"If we leave them," She reasons "they will die."

"Indeed, they will perish with this cold and with no food."

"What do they even eat at this age?" She asks curiously.

"Milk, mother's milk, we can offer them goats milk, it is better than nothing."

She pauses for a second before making it definite. "One looks so white."

"It is rare that tigers are born with no coloring and even rarer that they survive in the wild," Ezekiel informs her, his voice as hopeful as his face is.

"What if they don't survive?"

"Then all we can say is that we tried our best to give them the chance."

She can't help but agree with him. She doesn't know how her husband will process their passing if they don't make it, but the chance for him to be happy with the tigers he has already fallen in love with is an opportunity she simply cannot pass.

She cannot bring Shiva back to him, but she can give him the chance to raise these two. All she has to do is answer yes to his unasked question.

"Come, my love," she directs finally. "Let's go home."


End file.
